Atlas Insider
Atlas Insider: Put It on Pocket
The pages of my MDK Journal run the gamut from scribbled lists for keeping track of tasks to fancy charts drawn with a ruler and technical pens.
Somewhere between the chicken scratch and schematics are sketches. Whenever I start a new knitting project, if I’m planning to modify (and I’m often planning to modify), I make a few sketches to consider the options and to figure out how it will all come together.
Take a look at the pocket on Erika Knight’s sublimely simple Old Friend Pullover. It’s a canvas.
When I was ready to add the pocket to my version in Merlot Atlas, I pulled out my journal, a graphite pencil and two colored pencils, and the Field Guides that immediately came to mind and filled a spread:
Inspo galore: Field Guide No. 9: Revolution, Field Guide No. 4: Log Cabin, Field Guide No. 7: Ease, Field Guide No. 13: Master Class, and Field Guide No. 2: Fair Isle
I’m really happy with my choice …
39 stitches across rather than the 28 Stitches called for in the pattern
But the other pocket ideas are definitely calling to me to cast on Old Friend Pullover No. 2.
A Giveaway
The prize? An MDK Journal and a bundle of three Field Guides: Nos. 2, 4, and 7!
How to enter?
Two steps:
Step 1: Sign up for our weekly newsletter, Snippets, right here. If you’re already subscribed, you’re set.
Step 2: What’s a cherished memory of yours involving pockets? Or if you’re Knighting along with us, which Old Friend Pullover pocket mods are calling to you? Tell us in the comments.
Deadline for entries: Sunday, April 3, 11:59 PM Central time. We’ll draw a random winner from the entries. Winner will be notified by email.
no real memories of pockets except I always look for pockets… skirts, shirts, pants, dresses…if they have pockets, that will add to their appeal to me. The best are hoodless pullover sweatshirt style comfy tops w/ kangaroo pockets!
Putting on something I haven’t worn in a long time & finding money in a pocket. Yay!
I’m a fan of afterthought pockets.
My house cardigan didn’t have pockets and it drove me crazy. I made an afterthought pocket on the right hand side and it felt like it changed my life.
Pockets remind me of collecting rocks as a child. More recently, they are essential for me as a teacher: extra pencil, paper clip, tissue, etc. LOVE pockets!
There is also the slight fear of little kid pockets and what is inside. Lol. Also interesting what they find fascinating
Always love pockets! I can’t go anywhere without picking up a rock or two.
Favorite pocket memory is trying to hide my peas in it at the dinner table instead of eating them. Alas, I was found out and had to miss watching my favorite tv show that night. Age 4.
Finding money in the pocket of a winter jacket that had been packed away for the summer.
Finding clothes that fit with usable pockets! Only in Valhalla!
Finding things in pockets I’d left there; money (yeah), old grocery lists or notes, and Kleenex, thankfully unused!
Love knitting pockets into my kid’s sweaters, and then finding their treasures later!
I’ve just finished watching the series “The Last Kingdom”. Lots of talk of Valhalla there!
Love pockets! I was at a workshop and Lucy Neatby showed us how to double knit a pocket on a sweater. Sure wish I could remember how when I want to do it!!!
Years ago I knitted a cardigan/ coat for my mother in law. Pattern had no pockets. So I added some.
First thing she did when she put it on was shove her hands into the pockets. And then gave me a big smile. Which was rare because she didn’t really like me much.
What would she have done if I hadn’t added those pockets??
She wore that coat for years and years. And always told whoever would listen that I had made it for her.
I love pockets! I love pockets when it’s freezing cold outside and your hands are uncovered so the person you are with and love, holds your hand and tucks it together with theirs in the perfectly placed sweater pocket. I love finding that paper money you forgot about and now you’re broke but the pocket comes through and let’s you discover the money it had been caring for since you last got cash back change.
Finding a $5 bill i left in a coat pocket the year before. My mod would definitely be intarsia.
A friend gave me a small quilted ❤️ ornament from one of her travels, and Loved keeping it in a sleeve pocket of my red jacket!
Finding money in winter coat pockets.
My pocket memory is knitting a cardigan with Kangaroo pockets built in during a seminar at a retreat many years ago.
College laundry days…. Quarters and dimes. It was surprising how many were found in various pockets.
I had a vest with 3 zippered pockets-two lower and one upper, perfect for cell phone. After 20 years I wore it out, but took over my husband’s matching one. It’s larger than my old one-but now so am I!
As we went through the jackets of my recently departed dad, we found a chestnut. It may have been his ‘worry bead’ as he took long walks down a rural Florida road.
Hi, Kathleen! Please check your spam folder for our email. Your comment was picked at random, but we haven’t heard from you with your mailing address. Thanks!
My favorite pocket are the coin pockets, where I held a lucky charm that my Mother gave me for times when it felt I needed a little better luck.
Is this the same as the tiny inner pocket on the right side of jeans? I use that pocket to stash my rings when I’m working on the pottery wheel. Sometimes I’m going for the regular pocket below, and feel that frisson of fear when the rings at first appear to be missing…
What a lovely comment. So sweet. Makes me think of my dad too. Thanks!
It took a while for my now 3yo to notice pockets on her clothes and realize their purpose, so we would stuff oversized objects in them and pretend it to notice that there was a stuffed llama attached to her. Now she knows the purpose of pockets is to store rocks and I’ve issued an apology to my mother for the many rocks I collected as a kid.
My favorite thing about pockets is simple they keep my hands warm and I love a cable edging
My grandmother always carried a hankie in her pocket.
Finding a seashell in my old coat pocket from a holiday many years before brought a huge smile to my face.
When I knit Wallaby hoodies for my two Alaskan grandchildren the pockets were stranded colorwork with their boat name and “crew”. They loved them.
In the 80’s I had two colors of the same beloved skirt that had pockets.
Pocket story: After prom, a carful of girls who had attended as a herd quizzed the one who had gone with a date about her experience. “It was pretty good,” she reported. “He had pockets.”
my dad wore a three-piece suit so he had many pockets. There was usually a paper clip or two in one of the pockets so mom teased him saying he was stuffed with paperclips!
Fruit Lifesavers — my dad always had them in his pocket
My father’s story about how he would hide peas he didn’t like in his as a little boy. Also watching him put in a few extra sweets in napkins in his suit jacket pockets, to take home from celebration’s!:)
My thoughts on pockets…we need more! Not the tiny, decorative, useless kind found in most Women’s clothing suitable only for holding two dimes for the pay phone. Those are great but insufficient for all of the things I need to stick somewhere: cold hands, my phone, air pods, the hair bobbles my daughter takes out five seconds after I put them in, change from the coffee I just bought which is keeping my hand warm but preventing me from getting out my wallet, so many things.
My favorite pockets are the ones on my hoodies. Great for a chilly & rainy day!
pockets are essential!! My best memory is when I put on a summer dress from my closet after a long winter and found a $20 bill…
I love reaching my hand into my pocket and finding some forgotten dollar bills!
Can’t imagine pants without pockets. So am so grateful they are now offering pockets on activewear, jeggings, leggings and such. Keys and phone always safe and at the ready.
The brilliant Amy Krouse Rosenthal wrote a children’s book, I Wish You More, full of lovely images and ideas. One of the wishes for the child is “more treasures than pockets”. It’s a wonderful book!
An empty pocket is a sad thing. So I always brought home surprises in mine. Mother was horrified the day my raincoat pockets were full of worms.
My favorite memory of pockets is how my dad, in his later years, always had a roll of Certs breath mints in his pocket. My daughter took one of his quilted vests when we were cleaning out his closet, and a couple of years later, she put it on to do some outdoor chores, reached into the pocket, and there was a partial roll of Certs! We all cried and laughed together.
My comment must have fallen into a pocket so commenting again! My favorite pockets are on a pair of pajama pants. Those pockets are so useful for zillions of uses!
In kindergarten, my favorite outfit was a brown and white gingham dress that had a large acorn shape pocket. Then I found out my best friend had the same dress and we would plan to wear them on the same day.
As a child, I used to search pockets of winter coats for coins and from time to time would discover other little trinkets and treasure that my mom had left in one of her pockets. When I purchase clothing I look for pockets…I love them!
pockets hold surprise
treasures and remembrances:
belonging tokens
Love that you wrote it in Haiku!
Aw the essential pocket – never big enough – now days with our cell phones. A necessary component for me while I’m walking our dog is a pocket that will fit my phone and of course a few extra dog treats for any friends we meet along our journey.
Why, oh why? Do clothing manufacturers put such skimpy pockets on women’s clothing?
Love pockets! Use mine for a Kleenex – necessity! Sometimes for key and coins, too.
Colorful “Colonial Williamsburg” pockets that can be tied around any garment to provide that precious place for holding treasures!
Oh my goodness, what is not to love about pockets?!! Pockets are a magical kingdom filled, or not, with magical treasures. When my boys were little I had to be very careful when I emptied their pockets as I never knew what creepy, crawly, slimy, biting, stinging little creature might be lurking in those dark recesses.
I love pockets on anything. My dear dad, though, just wouldn’t wear a shirt unless it had two pockets. How much time did we spend looking for shirts with two pockets? I couldn’t even imagine. ♥️
Love my pockets!!!!
My best memory of pockets is wearing cargo pants when long-distance hiking. I could carry my phone (for taking pictures), glasses for checking the time, a few dollars and a small tube of sunscreen!
When my kids were little I would often find a pacifier in my pocket when I got to work. Always made me smile!
We used to get hand me down dresses from older cousins. One lovely brown dress had a pocket on the sleeve! Usually I love pockets, but that one was too weird; at least for a third grader!
I will definitely be “stealing” one of Cristina’s pocket ideas when I make my Old Friend pullover.
Dog treats in pockets
and then I get dog noses in my pocketses, which is fine when it’s a smaller, pointier nose like a Beagle. But my neighbor’s Newfie baby cannot fit his nose in my pocket! (Though he still tries… Love the bid doofus..)
In my early 20’s I had a leather pocket I wore on a belt. It had a fold closure with a wooden pin. I wore it everyday. 40+ Years later I still have that pocket and store an odd collection of mementos in it.
I like when I have enough pockets in my jacket and trousers to not need to carry a handbag 😀
No cherished memories of pockets, just a beef: women’s clothing often lack pockets. No place to put a tissue, lip balm, keys, or my phone. Sometimes this is pretty annoying!
I keep an embroidered handkerchief that my late Mom made in my coat pocket. Nearly 35 years after she left this earth, she can still make me smile when I reach in and find it again.
I love monograms and I think a pocket is a perfect place for a single initial, some thing that looks like calligraphy or just a Roman letter. Pockets are a great place to plant a monogram and give your sweater a punch of personalization!
Finding a $10 book in a pocket as a broke graduate student!
Who doesn’t love pockets? Handwarmers, secret stashes, & holders of lost surprises!
I love the surprises I find in the pockets of jackets I haven’t worn in a while – notes, a favourite lip balm gone missing, money – or more recently another mask
I always need a pocket for kleenex. My knitting group designed pockets awhile back.
I often stuff $$$ in my pockets? A pleasant surprise, to be sure! A little “crispy” after going unnoticed.on a trip thru the washer and dryer…
Isn’t everyone’s favorite pocket memory the same? It’s when you put your hand in a coat pocket and find money
Love pockets! Holding secrets treasures and essentials like keys, and adding fashion joy
Not my pocket but my daughter, we were traveling on a plane, she set off the alarms with a slinky in her pocket! She was four,
I love delicate embroidery on a pocket.
How happy I was the first time I knit a sweater with pockets, and they looked good
.
I love pockets….my last two knit cardigans , for a granddaughter and husband have pockets. My current cardigan will have side seam pockets. So very useful and much fun to find some forgotten item in them.
Happy Knitting!
I must have a pocket, especially when I go wandering. Little treasures I randomly find become fond memories on kitchen sills.
Finding a “love note” from my daughter in my pocket when she was still in early elementary school…she’s north of 25 now, but I still have the note.
Pockets = seashells, precious pebbles, ticket stubs, all manner of precious memories!
Training treats for my pup!
I love pockets! Whenever I wear something with pickets and I receive a compliment on the garment, I enthusiastically say, it’s got pockets!
I was always pulling a dollar here, five dollars there out of my husband’s pants pockets when I did the laundry and always gave it back to him. But one day I found $70 in his jean pocket. I told him I’m keeping the cash for me! He never left money in his pockets again.
I haven’t started my old friend yet, but thanks for the idea of decorating the pocket!
I had a photographer’s vest years ago that had probably 20 pockets or more… for film, for lenses, for ID. It was the best. I didn’t need to carry a camera bag when I went on a shooting assignment. I wish I still had it, even though it probably wouldn’t fit now.
My fond memory of pockets was in learning how to sew (my pre-knitting days), and realizing I would never have to go without pockets of the proper size again!
Same here. I remember learning to sew in home ec class and spending more time fussing with the pockets than with the rest of the skirt. I was edging the pockets with Rick rack…so fancy!
When I lived in cold places I was always finding money in my jacket pockets – always a lovely feeling, and often just when I needed it. Now that I’m back in Florida I rarely wear jackets and seldom use cash, but I still check all my pockets. (Love these ideas for the pockets of the lovely Old Friend which I doubt I’ll ever make because Florida…)
My paternal grandmother (who taught me how to knit and crochet) loved pockets. She also loved housedresses, the kind with the snaps or buttons up the front. But her two loves didn’t always coincide. So, whenever she got a new housedress that didn’t have pockets, she’d dive into her fabric stash and sew two big squares on the front. They never matched the original fabric, of course, but it became her “style signature.”
The log cabin pocket really inspires me. In fact, they all do!
I am not a big fan of pockets but the Old Friend Pullover pocket is a great “mini-canvas” – how about a simple cable in the center? Or perhaps a color block look coordinating with color tipped on the edges of the neck, sleeve, and bottom ribbing? Or maybe enhanced with a small embroidered motif?
Pockets are life to me now. I move through the world sans purse with just a cell phone that has a pocket on the back that holds my license and $ cards. That’s it. But I always need a clothing pocket to hold the phone.
As a first grader, I kept a DOG BISCUIT in my pocket for the big dog that I had to walk by on my way to the bus. It was a comfort.
Along with crunching fall leaves that ARE crunchy, and stomping through the thin layer of ice on puddles, I have a thing for picking lint out of the corners and seams of pockets. It’s so satisfying.
I love a good pocket but on knitted garments for myself I prefer the hidden pocket with a contrasting lining so the other color just peaks out. I’m knitting the Old Friend sweater for an actual old friend and I’ll be adding two hidden pockets
Couldn’t agree more about pockets. An essential whether in pjs, jeans, slacks, skirts, dresses – there is always a need. When I walk, I make sure to have pockets for phone, tissue, house key, mask and something to munch on.
I love pockets – I am forever looking for clothes with pockets or adding them to things. I like having a place to tuck things and a place to randomly find treasures months later.
I am a lover of pockets in sweaters,but not in pants. Shallow on-seam pockets are a no. Neither daughter will wear a sweater with pockets,probably because Mom occasionally laundered clothes with one too many tissues.
Forgotten money, cough drops, stitch markers (I’ve already completed my Old Friend pocket as a gauge swatch, but you’ve got me contemplating duplicate stitch)
My grandfather always kept a handful of butterscotch hard candies in his shirt pocket and would give the grandkids one whenever we saw him. When I have a butterscotch now, it brings up memories of happy days spent with him.
My father loved and required a pocket. Now I am the same way. More and more clothes have them now.
I’m not sure it’s accurate, but I’ve heard that during the French revolution women’s pockets were illegal….so we couldn’t carry anything that might help with the struggle.
I’m an undergraduate. My beau gave me a lucky stone that reminded me of our infatuation. I kept the stone, the sweater and its pocket, and gladly outgrew the beau.
Back in my wayward 20s, when I was working in a stable and galloping racehorses for a living, I carried a simple 2 blade pocket knife with me all the time. All my blue jeans had a pocketknife shaped wear silhouette on the outside. I still have that knife, although I don’t carry it with me anymore. These days it’s mostly keys, phone, dog treats….
I moved five months ago and have been looking everywhere for the old key to an antique armoire I put in a very safe spot. Haha. The weather was beautiful yesterday and I pulled out a light jacket I had not worn in some time. I was delighted to unzip the pocket to put some dog treats for our walk to find that old key!
I love a pocket, I have constant runny nose from allergies and even a small pocket can hold a tissue.
Emptying my sons pockets when he was little. I think a log cabin pocket would be cute
As a nurse for almost 50 years, I know how important pockets are. Scissors, Tubex, pen, hemostat, tape, etc. all crammed into a pocket. At one point, I made tie on pockets, like little aprons, to hold the overflow.
My son, now 30, always had something in his pocket. It would lead to interesting discussions at bath time as he undressed and we discussed his “finds” of the day. Great memories – thanks for the prompt.
Figuring out hidden seam or ‘buttonhole’ by pickets was gratifying.
I have to have pockets – deep enough for pens, field notebooks, and in this season, tissues!
Pockets are the best!
Clothes without pockets should be illegal. They hold stuff, they hide stuff, they warm up your hands. They’re dependable, reliable, always there when you need them…Christina, you have made them into an art form. Thank you.
Love this idea. Maybe intarsia!
Every time I find my AirPods in my pockets before I do the laundry, I am thankful. When they go through the laundry, hidden in my pockets, I am always praying before I try them out.
Pulling out my winter coats in the fall, and somehow there were still tiny bags of dog treats in many of the pockets. Until my son’s dog, much larger than my little Maltese poodle, came for an extended stay. I returned from work to find that many of those pockets had been carefully chewed through to get to those treats!
That was on me, but I had never considered it as likely or possible!
Thank you for the smile! I have an almost 5 month old Australian Shepherd that thinks my sweaters are fair game for chewing.
Love pockets, and as a teacher always had them. They were great for holding keys, chalk, clips, pens, etc. My Old Friend is finished and has 2 pockets that I finished with and I-cord bindoff.
When I was in high school I had a leather bomber jacket with inner pockets. I loved stashing my money in those and inevitably I would discover a forgotten bill when I would wear my jacket again at the first cold snap.
I bottle-raised an abandonded 3 wk-old kitten once and he lived in my pockets for a few weeks until he could regulate his body temp.
I wish more women’s clothing was made with pockets. Life without a purse on your shoulder is wonderful. I saw recently brides are asking for pockets in their wedding dresses. What last-minute thing could a bride use- lipstick, a lucky item, or a token memory? Give us pockets!
I pick up beach glass whenever I am lucky enough to be on a beach. I have a mason jar at home with my collection and I often pick one out and carry it as a beach/lake reminder. Sometimes, much later, I’ll find one in a sweater pocket and it’s a lovely surprise!
Oh I want to knit a pocket now. My best memory is knitting a big old wrap sweater out of lopi and putting similar pockets on for fun. Now I wish I still had the cardi as I would add some colour to it.
The desire to have pockets has reshaped my fashion sense since I’ve had kids. I seek them out now, and deliberately wear pocket pants on weekends when we are all together so I can carry what I need with me when we are out and about….much to the amusement of my cargo-pants-loving partner, who likes to remind me how I used to criticize his cargo pockets as unfashionable before we had kids.
Someone mentioned her grandmother always had a hankie in her pocket, and that’s me now. I’m a nana with a hankie in her pocket, a fresh one daily. My husband loves golf shirts with pockets. It’s almost time to take my knit fingerless mittens from the pockets of my winter coat and jackets. We couldn’t live without pockets in New Hampshire winters.
I had a moment when I saw your Picket Fence inspo…thank you!!
No real pocket memories for me but I know if i skip the pocket I am always disappointed! I always need a pocket.
Love the fair isle design on the one above. What a beautiful accent!
Pockets in every garment for me – exceptions, underwear and swimsuits. No pockets, no purchase.
My father would always carry 2 embroidered and carefully pressed cotton handkerchiefs in his shirt or sweater pocket. One was used in case he saw someone who had tears or sniffles, and he would gift it to them. The other was for himself. Those beautiful handkerchiefs in his pocket are a strong memory for me.
On a sweater sometime ago, I created a pocket using one solitary fair isle flower motif. I still love it to this day.
Going through my daughter’s pockets when she was a preschooler. She always had fascinating finds– mostly bits of nature!
When I was a child I had a wish that some day my father would come home from work with a little kitten in his pocket for me! ❤️
I .must have pockets in everything but the first time I knit pockets was for Cecelia’s new IBE vest pattern which was fun and easy
I’m loving the cabled pocket idea a lot! Adding some texture to a field of stockinette is perfect.
My mother worked at a dry cleaner when I was a kid. Part of her job involved checking and emptying out the pockets of all the garments before they were sent off to be cleaned. It was amazing to see what had been forgotten.
Pockets are an essential feature in jackets, coats, pants etc.! I can’t remember ever buying a pair of pants that didn’t have pockets. Where else would I keep my keys, phone, tissues and whatnots?
Love your embellishments for the Old Friend pockets!
My mom always told me to keep my hands out of the pockets, as they will stretch out and sag. I think of that every time I put my hands in them.
Haven’t yet cast on my Old Friend but will do so soon. Love the idea of gussying up the pocket, might add some cables!
Pockets are a necessity for me and it drives me crazy that so much of women’s clothing doesn’t have them! I always need a Kleenex and a place for my phone and where else do you put your hands?
As a child I would watch my father empty his pockets at the end of the day and wonder how he could carry so much.
I am on a pro-pocket campaign. I need pockets — substantial, working pockets, not just for show — that can hold my essentials at the ready! Clothing without them is being edited out of my collection.
Memories of pulling my son’s treasures out of his pockets!
After my father passed I sorted his clothing for donation and found all sorts of treasures in his pockets – hankies, receipts, and candy wrappers. It felt very personal and comforting to be so close to him.
I love pockets – comforting and endlessly useful.
Pockets are the best! I cool memory I have is when my granddaughter “discovered” pockets! She was just so delighted and walked around with her hands in her pockets all day! She was about 2 then and now is a teenager. Sigh.
The pocket modification is brilliant and I might try it. Thinking of a cable off-center con the front of the pullover and another on the pocket.
What annoys me about pockets is that they are so small on women’s jeans compared to men’s. On a positive note, I love the pockets on my portage and how cohesive they are with the pattern. I also love the idea of making a pocket as your gauge swatch. Maybe all my sweaters need pockets since my jeans disappoint.
For a fair at my children’s school, I sewed a “coat of many pockets” to hold small prizes that the kids could choose from the pocket of their choice.
Oh I remember those! It was called Pick a Pocket and all the kids lined up to get a surprise!
Love pockets for the surprises they hold and knowing what is in there was important to the wearer. When my kids were little everything from a crayon to rocks or a dandelion could be waiting.
Life is too short to buy clothes that do not have pockets. I favor women’s clothing companies that get that. Once. And only once. I slipped my hand into a coat from the winter before, and found a $20 bill. It had been a particularly rough year financially. What joy!
Mine is a current one as I help my 2 year old granddaughter learn the difference between a pocket and a pouch. She is becoming very specific as to which one she wants when she gets dressed. Looking forward to making her sweaters with pockets and pouches!
Dresses with pockets! And any time someone would complement, my gleeful response is “It has pockets!” Thrilled that my daughter’s prom dress included them, too.
Have never even thought of changing it up for a pocket. Love this idea and the color addition. Picket fence is calling to me.
That is why I love hoodies! That big, warm pocket! Totally convenient, since gloves and mittens require another step, plus the loss potential! All my newer sweaters have patch or fancier afterthought pockets!
Best is reaching into a pocket and finding something completely forgotten – a little Lego guy, baby socks, Metro ticket from a trip. Then putting it back to find again.
Rather than a cherished memory of pockets I remember a conversation I had with my adult son about where to put my phone. “Just put it in your pocket” he told me. I had to explain to him that Women’s clothes don’t always have pockets. Lesson learned. I pay attention now when I consider adding an item to my wardrobe.
I save all our old jeans to repurpose them. I make denim quilts with them backed in soft flannel. My favorite denim pieces to use of course are the 2 back pockets! The quilts became tapestry of my memories in my old Calvin’s, my 1990 Guess jeans, and of course Levi’s then came the kids pockets in their tiny kids jeans then the skater jeans and so on. Pockets and memories! Great question and very meaningful Gail to me!
Gail? Ha put that typo in a pocket!
My pocket memories are from sewing rather than knitting- I hope that’s ok! My first successful welt pocket is one and adding side seam pockets to a pattern that didn’t have them and at just the right size and placement. I do love the idea of using a patch pocket as a canvas for some fair isle or other element to make it a focal point. Definitely taking notes for when I finally get to my Old Friend!
First, Christina your sweater is beautiful! Second, when I knit Old Friend, at some point, I will definitely play with motifs–see what strikes my fancy at that time
I don’t know why women’s clothes don’t have pockets. If they do, they’re barely deep enough to hold a quarter!
When I was a tween and learning to sew, I picked a pattern for a dress with deep pockets. I loved that pattern. More dresses need pockets.
Just the wonderful feeling of trying on a dress/top and feeling around on the side seam to discover it has POCKETS!
I was sad and scared to be left alone and reached in my pocket and found a favorite mini toy hidden in my pocket by my mother before she left for the hospital.
When I was test knitting a sweater a while ago, I asked the designer if I could add a slit pocket. She was fine with that and it made the sweater far more useful to me. I am a huge packet fan.
My favorite pocket memories revolve around my children and the really weird things that they sometimes put in their pockets (including, but not limited to, sandwiches, toads, avocado slices, and rocks).
Emptying my sons’ pockets on laundry day. So many treasures the guys would tuck away and forget.
I love having pockets and am knitting my first sweater now that has a pocket.
My fave memory of pockets was skating at Balduck park, using a kangaroo pocket to keep my hands warm, and to challenge my balance!
Our son would put everything in pockets, rocks, toys, hot dogs
I love fall, when you start pulling out your coats and jackets then suddenly discover a $5 bill or the lipstick you’ve been searching for for months. One year i put on an old coat I hadn’t worn in years and in the pocket was a ticket stub from the day i took my niece ice skating for the very first time. She was maybe 5 at the time but when i found the ticket in my pocket she was a freshman in college. Pockets are like little time capsules
We would dig in my dad’s pockets when he came home from work. He always bought sticks of Dentine gum from the dispensers that used to be found on the columns on the subway platforms. He smelled like Dentine and we knew we would find extra in his pockets.
Pockets on a toddler sweater for my grandson.
I absolutely adore pockets in EVERYTHING! My sweetest memories of pockets involve walks with my sons when they were small (and now grandson) . They were forever giving me small treasures of small rocks, seashells, etc. to carry for them in my pockets.
I love pockets especially those that are part of a side seam, oh yeah and sweatshirt style pockets and …. I could go on and on!
My youngest son would find so many treasures to stuff in his pockets as a little boy. It was always entertaining to see what came out of his pockets every laundry day!
Best pocket memory was successfully knitting side ones that were on the seams.
I added pockets to lap blankets. Seemed like a practical solution.
Pockets are for saving things in and hiding things from and all the other wonderful things listed here in these comments. We are pocket lovers
No real pocket memories but I love a pocket. Who doesn’t?
I would refuse to wear dresses when I was little because they didn’t have pockets. My mother made me a dress with primary colored square pockets across the front
I love pockets! And now you’ve reminded me, I have one I knit that’s laying around in a bag somewhere that I never attached to the sweater it was knit for! I’m going to go look for it. And make more because of you. Good article, I want a notebook now.
I love pockets too but I really love how you beautiful your MDK journal is! What an inspiration!
My most favorite sweater has hidden side pockets. I NEED to add those to EK’s sweater!
I offered Martha Stewart a brochure to Terrace Horticultural Books (not far from her book signing) and she was so excited she was trying to cram the brochure in her back pocket. She and staff reportedly visited the shop and sent home a couple cases of books–including a book on pears to complete a set of hers.
I made Kate Davies Blaithin and used a contrasting color that I pulled from the yoke design to line the pockets. That color showed in the rolled edge of the pockets.
Thank you for mentioning the sweater by Kate Davies (one of my favorite designers), Bláithin. I was not familiar with this pattern but found it on Ravelry. Delighted to see there is also a “junior” version in children’s sizes which also has pockets.
I am currently making a cardigan with two set in pockets; the linings are made separately in the round with stranded color work knitting, two at a time with steek stitches between them. First time steeking and first pockets! ♥️ Yay! (How about that for the Old Friend Pullover?)
I love finding old treasures (or surprises) in pockets of items not used in a while.
Loved reading all the pocket comments! My father always had a freshly ironed linen handkerchief in his pocket.
Reaching into my pocket and finding a bunch of cash I don’t remember putting in there! Happens a lot!
Need to knit more pockets! And how about mitten cuffs like in Mary Jane
Mucklestone’s field guide # 17.
When I was a small child I found a chestnut and kept it in my Dressy Bessy doll. To this day I still have the doll and my chestnut. 🙂
I love finding a 10 dollar bill in the pocket of something I haven’t worn in awhile!
This covers all pockets. I am always thrilled to put my hand in a pocket to find money. It is especially exciting if it is paper currency! The flip side of that are tissues that hide and make their way into the washer! Something in the formulation of tissues has changed as they used to come out in a worn-looking sheet. Now they disintegrate into a gazillion tiny pieces!
I’m a consummate tissue carrier, so a pocket is must for me.
I love pockets…they enable me to leave the house without having to take a bag!
My daughter is always excited to find a dress with pockets. My pocket stories relate to jeans and strike plates on doors. If you’re tearing around, and catch your jeans pocket on a strike plate, two things can happen. You can get yanked back as in a cartoon, or you can rip the pocket and the jeans. I’ve done both.
The first cardigan I ever made was a duster about 20 years ago. It had two pockets on the front. I’d never done pockets before, but it turned out to be so easy. It’s still my favorite sweater, but I think if I do it again, I’ll place the pockets a little higher. Either I have T-Rex arms or the designer has gorilla arms…
I love clothes with useful pockets, as so many people have said, so rare in women’s clothes. I also used to love finding money in my winter coat pocket when I got it out again in the fall. It used to happen more when I went out more and we used cash more. It’s been a long time. Maybe it’s time to slip a surprise for future me in my coat pockets.
I like the idea of the little cables!
I don’t have a memory but a longing to cuddle up to pockets with confidence!
I had the cutest pocket that had little “ears” that tied in the middle to make a small bow at the top of the pocket!
Finding last year’s holiday money stashed in jackets the following fall!
I have no pocket memories per se. But I cherish them–they are useful, magic, and–if you leave a kleenex in them when you wash an item–frustrating.
When I was younger, finding my $20.00 bill in a winter coat pocket the next winter.
When my godfather, my dad’s best friend, came over he always had a roll of Life Savers in his pocket. My sisters and I were like little birds awaiting the colorful treat that we were not given ordinarily. when I write this, I can still taste them. Good pocket memory.
Taking pockets out/off clothes for my niece when she was small. Inexplicably, she HATED pockets. Sensibly, though, she eventually outgrew that phase.
Pockets are one of those things you take for granted! I have a couple pairs of work pants with fake pockets and every time I wear them there is a point in the day when I go to put something in my pocket and realize all over again that “damn, these are the no pocket pants”.
One time I found a cell phone in the pocket of a down vest that I had certified as lost and had replaced it! I guess it had gotten cold enough to switch to coats that day!
What first comes to mind is not having a pocket when I needed one, slipping emergency money into my bra.
I like the pockets you knit first, sometimes in a different color, and add into tour sweater as you knit the front(s)!
My grandfather’s jingling pockets that alerted us all to his arrival.
When watching my granddaughter when she was 3, I was getting ready to wash her clothes and in her little size 3T jeans she had put a few small rocks in one of her pockets. Why, I don’t know. But my daughter said she likes to put things in her pockets!
Pockets sometimes carry memories. My Mom had died in July after an 8 year period of the slow goodbye…Alzheimer’s. One October morning I slid on my old barn jacket and found a rock from her favorite river tucked inside my pocket. I had taken her there one day about two years into our journey and she had picked up that rock and handed it to me. She wanted to know what they were and why had I brought her to the place with so much water. That rock is still in my jacket pocket. It’s worn a little smoother now. To Mom!! Your needles still work!
Pockets are an essential element of a garment for me…or even as a stand alone accessory (think pocket on a string). When I find myself in a stressful situation, I reach in to find whatever tiny talisman I had placed there for that very moment.
I am not doing the pullover, ( I am too old for this style, and my climate is too warm), but I did the KAL for Daytripper and added two afterthought pockets to it, I put 20 stitches on waste yarn to do it. The inside of the pocket is in CC1. Looks very nice.
Pockets are an essential element of any garment for me…or even as a stand alone accessory (think pocket on a string). Whenever I find myself in a stressful situation, I can reach into my pocket to find whatever talisman I had placed there for that very moment.
I love pockets. I wish all my dresses had pockets! I keep tissues in my pockets because I need them – allergies you know. I’ve only ever knitted one sweater with pockets, and I must say, it was easier than I thought it would be. I could totally knit another sweater, but most likely a cardigan, with pockets. I like your idea of adding in motifs here to brighten up a plain knit.
My ‘Circumnavigated Cardigan’, a pattern from Medrith Glover, was such fun to knit and the pockets on it are genius!
Recently I knitted a “Forest Park Cardigan” and learned to add a pocket base in a rather clever way. Always something new in knitting!
I love pockets with a peek of color inside!
I knit a pocket or go on to a pair of jeans.
Creativity!
Plus, read the pattern and plan! I’m keeping my colored pencils near my knitting stuff.
I always check my pockets for spare change and notes I have left myself – it’s a good giggle when you fins a note with a name of a patter you want to check out !!! JACKPOT only in Canada 🙂
Oh, I love the idea of a log cabin pocket. The colorwork you did is intriguing. What about an intarsia flower? Or a Selbu rose?
My clothes have to have pockets! My favorite pocket-related memory is repairing the holes at the bottom of my dad’s pants pockets, created by coins. When I learned to use the sewing machine, he’d say, “your mom is busy…can you please give my pocket a little “zip-zip” on the machine?” Both of my parents appreciated the help and I enjoyed the job.
Summer of 2019, I flew to Montana for a knitting retreat. My husband drove my car to the airport (a few hours from our house) and picked me up there upon my return. A few weeks later, he was looking for his keys to my car and couldn’t find them. He would borrow my set the rest of the summer. Into Fall, he actually accused me of misplacing my set and taking his, and I seriously considered that possibility. As Winter slid into Spring and the Pandemic hit, still no keys. We even made looking for his keys one of our first “stay home” projects. We weren’t going out so the key issue became less important but we still kept an eye out for them as we completed various domestic projects. Finally, one day in late August, he was organizing his bureau, and as he was putting away a pair of shorts, he felt a lump in the pocket, and there were his keys he had put there over a year earlier!!!
In order to add more packets to my wardrobe I have been opting for cute jumpsuits= pockets galore
My oldest son “needed” pockets on everything as soon as he could walk. And he loved filling them with treasures which led to some interesting laundry adventures.
I always knit a “secret” message inside
I just made my first knitted garment with pockets. It is a vest I wear all the time and love those posckets
When I work in the garden I wear old clothes, sometimes my partner’s old clothes that are comfortably roomy on me and often have pockets. Lost my keys for a few weeks last summer between the lining layers of a old yellow windbreaker with a ripped right hand pocket. What a relief it was to recognize the characteristic key jingle when I shook the coat I had already checked several times. Retrieving them was a fishing job!
I love pockets in everything but I have never knitted them. Feeling inspired.
finding a forgotten twenty, for sure.
I just finished the Destination Pullover sweater from MDK Field Guide #17 which to my delight, includes pockets. I had bought the yarn during a trip to Iceland and found a skein of the color Galaxy which is a subtle difference from the color of the yarn the pocket is set into. I used the Sparkle motif which I used in the Jaunty Beanie I made to wear on the trip. So lots of Icelandic memories contained in one pocket.
Ouf. Not a great memory! but once found a 10$ bill in a pocket in the closet and told my then-live in bf, ‘hey! you should go through my pockets more often!’ i have never been the most tactful
Being a Grandma, I love finding an unexpected little craft or small toy in my pocket
I do like the Faire Isle. Stripes would also be ok.
Although I love pockets, I have left stones from beach walks in the pockets thus ruining my washing machine. This has happened twice!
My mom has sewn clothes for me and my brother, and now our families, for years. It’s always fun to see what scrap of fabric she’s used for the pocket lining!
Love my vest pockets, holders of missing keys, credit card, crumpled tissues.
I love the Hadley pattern idea. It could also be extended to the lower part of the sleeves…. or even on the cowl, to bring the eye upward to the wearer’s face.
Ha! I just (almost) finished the Cold Heart Coat by Lily Kate France. It has 2 pockets that are supposed to be sewn closed on the front panels (near the ‘button band”). I thought I might line them with material in hopes of limiting the stretch on the pockets from wear. So excited with this idea that I put the coat on and wore it to the yarn/fabric store. It was so cold that I stuck my hands in the “pockets” and realize that they form a muff! of sorts! If I choose not keep anything but my hands in them, I many leave the pockets unsewn…a new design feature!
An orphaned baby rabbit in my Dad’s overall pocket when I was very young.
My favorite pocket was on the front of the dress I wore to my first day of first grade. I remember it vividly because the pocket was made to look like an airmail letter, and my dad was a mailman. 🙂
There’s A Wocket In My Pocket By Dr. Seuss!
Putting a hand in a pocket and finding money in
Oh, how I wish pants came with pockets big enough!!! Otherwise, finding $ from last winter in the coat pocket is always joyful!
Twice I have knitted sweaters with pockets and then left them off my plan.
My excuse was that the pocket would get caught on something and my phone is too heavy for it anyway. On one of the sweaters I went back and put in the pocket . . . no regrets! Now I’m planning more pockets, each different from the other!
When I was a teacher, after reading The Hobbit, one of my journal questions was, “What has it (you) got in it’s pocketses?” The answers were everything from “a lizard” to “the gum you made me spit out. It was a new piece.” Almost everyone had a pocket, thank goodness!
Finding money or some other treasure in the pocket of the coat you wore the last time it was cold. Pocket mods! I never even thought of that. Decisions decisions.
Grandma always had a Kleenex in hers. ALWAYS.
My mom always had a Kleenix in her pocket, every pocket. When she passed away and we cleaned out her clothes we found a Kleenix in every pocket. There must be something in the genes because I now find a Kleenix in my pockets. Weird and sweet because I think of her and her pockets.
Everything must have pockets! You just never know what treasures you might find when out walking the dog or strolling through the garden or checking out a Little Library (which might require really BIG pockets). Even looking through pockets later can reveal old treasures that had been forgotten in the pocket.
I cannot remember stories about pockets, only annoyance that women’s clothing design doesn’t usually accommodate good pockets.
I made two pockets to match a sweater knitted in self striping yarn. Of course I had run out of the original yarn and had to do some magic from my stash. The pockets are adorable but I ended up not using them on the sweater, they are waiting for an assignment!
gallon size pockets on a dress. And the dress could be swapped front for back with access to those terrific pockets.
The first time I bound off stitches to make an inset pocket was amazing to me. It showed me the bones of a sweater in a way no scarf or hat ever had.
My favourite pocket memories are of my dad getting an idea or measuring something and pulling his cigarette package and a pencil out of his pocket to write it down. My mother offered to buy him notebooks but he said that would be too much bulk in his pocket. He designed a lot of our house by jotting things on his cigarette packs. I live in that house now and wish we’d kept some of those Player’s packages.
I learned afterthought pockets a la Elizabeth Zimmermann in the past year. I’ve put them on two of my cardigans. The technique makes me feel so clever!
Pockets are so important! Where would I stow my Kleenex & phone when taking my daily walks???
Using the pockets as gauge swatches for my still unfinished Oban Cardigan was a genius suggestion. I will get this done before it becomes too warm to sit in my lap!
Cherished event involving a pocket: finding a $20 in one.
There was an older man who went to church when I was little. He would always come up to me every Sunday and offer me candy or gum that he kept in his jacket pocket. He was very sweet and kind. I was always very shy and not comfortable around a lot of people. I don’t have siblings and was only ever around adults. Being never seen or heard was what I was supposed to do. I never felt anxious around him and it was nice to not feel that way for a few minutes.
When I made my first Wallaby sweater for my little granddaughter several years ago, I was nervous about the pocket. I need not have been concerned as it was magical watching how the pocket knit right on the front of the sweater.
Knit my first pocket that was not a patch pocket last year. Want to do more!
Aw. I remember finding a very old friendship bracelet in a pocket of a jacket that had been put away for the season.
Since the cell phone has become my constant companion I must have a pocket. I don’t need a purse too.
My first knit pocket was a complex side slash with inner facing in a aran cardigan for my large husband. A very real learning experience.
when I was a kid I would put frogs and garter snakes in my pockets!
As winter gives way to spring, and the need of a heavy coat fades, I like to tuck a 5 or 10 dollar bill in a pocket. That way, when winter returns and I have to put on a heavy coat again, there is a small reward found to ease the not so welcome return (for me) of the cold.
Pockets are a must when walking the beach for holding onto those found little treasures!
I adore pockets. I think everything I own should have at least one or two. When I was a child I received a hand-me-down from a cousin, a lovely quilted skirt with pockets. I was very young and definitely not fashion conscious. It was an unlikely color green and I wore it till it was faded. I felt happy and contented in my skirt walking down the road with my hands in my pockets….
Memories of searching all the coat/jacket pockets for money on a Sunday evening so we could go out to split a sandwich for dinner. My husband was a college student, I was working and it was going to be another week before payday.
So pleased I don’t have to carry a mask in my pocket any more!
I once pulled a decent amount of money out of a pocket
I love the pocket in the Destination Pullover in a contrasting color that peeks out!
Cristina, love the glow of Merlot and your pocket design, hand stitching. When I saw your title, my first thought was “Put a Kaffe house on your pocket!”
Last year I knitted two steeked cardigans in handspun, indigo dyed yarn. I made two after thought pockets on each, thanks to a tutorial on YouTube. Just right for warming hands or holding a hankie. I like the sleek, built in look.
Made a yellow hooded sweatshirt with a kangaroo pocket in college, but totally didn’t understand the importance of gauge. The sweater was huge but the pocket was very handy and negated the need for a purse. Sadly, the sweater is gone and I’ve never repeated that type of pattern again.
I always enjoy revisiting pockets in my cool and winter weather jackets each fall – I often find “surprises” among the old tissues in the pockets! But, I also love pockets in everything I wear if at all possible.
I love finding 20 dollar bills in old clothing I haven’t worn for years and I am ready to recycle. .
I run with my dog so I have to have pockets for “doggie bags”, but I also need them for Kleenex, keys, and ID. I’m very partial to zippered pockets.
Once I bought a winter jacket and tucked in the pocket were some matching lightweight gloves
My daughter’s new chihuahua puppy who was tiny enough to fit in my husband’s shirt pocket.
I just have the elation of finding usable pockets in anything, and the joy of finding a brand with usable pockets for women. They have my support 100%. Especially dresses or skirts. Or tailoring that keeps the pockets usable without de-pantsing you!
My husband and I (yes a joint projecct) recently finished a jacket for my granddaughter who asked for one with a zipper, a hood and “my dog on the back”. My daughter helpfully suggested “you could do paw prints on the pockets!” So we dutifully put paw prints on the pockets – my husband actually duplicate stitched them! She was delighted and thinks that Granny and Grandpa are wonderful!
Putting g pockets on all my lounge pants. Made them much more functional.
In the early 80s, using my MiL’s sewing machine that had only one stitch, & one direction, I realized that I could add pockets to ANY dress or skirt!
Went on vacation to a beach with my family when I was small. I collected a ton of shells and pebbles, but couldn’t find them when we got home. Then a while later I found them all in my jacket pocket! I was pretty thrilled about that 🙂
I’m thinking the cable variation is for me. Just a little pop of texture in all the stockinette
Love pockets! Pretty much refuse to wear clothes without them. Where else would treats for the horses go? I love the “secret” pops of colour on the linings of pockets.
I cannot argue with your choice….love it! But if I were to choose something on my own I probably would do a little duplicate stitch of some very simple design to mimic the overall “simple” design.
I remember the first time I knitted a pocket on a sweater. I was sure it would be a disaster, but to my surprise the 2 pockets turned out very nice. Never be afraid to do new things.
I love pockets that are big enough eliminate the need for a purse. I tend to ignore the clothes in my closet that don’t have pockets. Missing pockets makes my hands feel lost and especially cold in winter. Finding any treasure, be it money, rocks, buttons, some memento in a pocket is always a treat, often a remembrance. I especially love pockets in kitchen aprons, so handy.
I grew up always having a hankie in my dress pocket on Sundays for church, usually edged with handmade tatting or lace. My first ironing project was ironing my dad’s hankies, he always had one tucked in his pocket.
For the Old Friend pocket I may do it in ribbing to mimic the hems and neckline. Love the possibilities one can do with that big patch of knitting.
My grandmother always kept a little treat for me in her pocket whenever we would visit her.
Omigod, this is a TERRIFIC idea. My favorite pocket is on a long-gone cardi I made, like 30-plus years ago; it was in-line, and I remember liking it a lot–beyond that, it’s all a jumble.
I knit a child’s sweater and the pockets both have fuzzy white sheep on them. So cute.
One spring I put on a pair of lightweight pants and discovered in one pocket the bracelet I’d thought I’d lost. Hurray!
And I am struck by the delightfully large pockets in the men’s jeans I recently bought for myself; most (all?) women’s jeans pockets are ridiculously small. Sure our hands are smaller, but not THAT small.
My granddaughter with strawberry pockets on a dress I made.
When I was a child I had an apron I wore whilst eating meals. It had a large pocket across the front where I would hide the bits of meat I didn’t want to eat. As if I didn’t eat my meat I didn’t get a pudding. Needless to say I didn’t miss out on many puddings.
I’ve only knitted one project with pockets (the Aileas cardigan). I was very intimidated but they turned out wonderfully!
I used lovely orange tweed yarn I brought back from Ireland to knit pockets on my first cardigan sweater. Every time I wear it and slip my hands in the pockets, I remember the little shop in Galway where I purchased the yarn. Lovely memories in my pockets!
A few years ago (before the plague), when I was leaving work, the elevator stopped and two women from another office got on. One woman was admiring the other’s dress, and she replied, “Thanks! It has pockets!” I silently and dramatically raised my arms, then put them in the pockets of my own dress. And we all laughed and had a moment about how wonderful it was to have pockets in our clothing.
My memory is my Grandma Bee’s pocket in her beautician (for those of you who are millennials or younger, the term would be hair stylist) uniform pocket. She had her shop in the basement of her mother’s Victorian home. The house was perched on St John Street Street hill and had a basement level entrance from the sidewalk. My grandma curled, cut, dyed, permed hair for over fifty years. She had quite the clientele, ladies she had worked on since they were 1920 flappers. In that pocket were tools of the trade, a pair of small hair cutting scissors for those pesky hairs that wouldn’t cooperate; a variety of clips, hair pins, perm rods and papers; a half a pack of Salem cigarettes which she would only smoke when she went upstairs to the kitchen to down a half cup of cold coffee between clients; and, last but not least, a roll of Life Savers peppermints to mask the telltale cigarette. Childhood memories of my beloved Grandma Bee. In fact she is the person who taught me how to knit when I was 7.
A journalist I respected carried his notebook not in his back pocket but in the back of his waistband.
Pocket mods! How ingenious! I’d love to try log cabin and a pocket seems the perfect first try.
A pocket that I can slip my hand into…..so that, when I need good luck I can secretly cross my fingers and hope!
Finding pockets in a purchased knit jacket. They were inset so well someone else found them.
I’ve loved pockets since I was a little girl. My mom almost always knit them in my sweaters. When I learned to sew, I made pockets on a variety of projects. Knitting provides a whole new bunch of opportunities to create and add this practical and fun detail to clothes. Thanks for highlighting pockets in the MDK letter today!
The reassuring feeling you get when you pat the pocket and feel the keys. Whew!
Pockets! Girls clothing needs more usable pockets. My dad had the most amazing pockets. He could pull out his collection of keys that would open all the doors or a selection of writing utensils with a pocket screwdriver or two mixed in, or a packet of gum. In lieu of pockets, I adopted one of my grandmothers purses as a little girl, which my father soon dubbed my “bottomless purse, because you carry everything but the kitchen sink in there!” and it was quite true 🙂 still is if I think about it….. I could likely win one of those shower games of “what’s in your purse”.
When I was in the army many moons ago, we were not allowed to have anything in our pockets because they were not being used that way. So now, I must have pockets in all my clothing- because who knows what I’ll need to carry!?
I would use the Hadley motif on my pocket,too. I used it on a hat and it turned out very well.
I have a quilt made by a dear friend that has a pocket as part of the design,
Pockets! When I went to New York for college (having grown up in no-winter LA) I took with me the coolest, totally dramatic woollen cadet coat – with NO pockets. Style being everything (I was young and it _was_ Manhattan) I amassed a great collection of gloves. Coming home for break I was right back into my old rumpled high school jacket with its deep pockets (big enough to hold a paperback). I was home where I didn’t have to make a splash and could just carry my books with warm hands.
Love this idea! I have a cardy that I made w/o pockets (why, oh why?) that needs afterthought pockets. And why not make them fun?
Kaffe Fassett offers a load of motifs that would look good on pockets. These days everything ust have a pocket or I’m not wearing it.
When i found out i can make big rolmy pockets when i knot my sweaters ha
In1st Grade, my mother would tie my milk money in the corner of my handkerchief and then tuck it deep inside my dress pocket. In the early fifties, every dress my mother made always had deep side pockets, but sometimes she would actually use a safety pin to pin it in place just to make sure I made it to school with the nickel intact.
I was allowed to occasionally go thru my dad’s suit change pockets and collect any coins he left behind. I always assumed he left them for me. A treasured memory of a child’s simpler time.
Always thinking that pockets were hard and skipping them. Then tried one on a vest I made and realized it was so easy and was an adorable accent.
The bittersweet feeling of finding a roll of “poop bags” in a winter coat pocket the year after losing a beloved doggy companion. The miles we walked together and the joy of being alone with her and the outdoors!
It appears that my husbands suit pockets have become miniature time capsules as a result of how much time passes between when he wears it…..kinda bummed that he’s thinking about a new suit for our daughter’s wedding 🙂
I’m knitting the Bento Boxy sweater and was contemplating the upcoming pocket. I was not enthused about the pattern’s pocket but now seeing your ideas above and off on a pocket imagination adventure. I am sure it will be much more to my liking. Thanks for the thoughts….and mid adventure.
Going out for a walk on a cold day in the fall and finding a pair of gloves in the pockets you had left there.
Finding money in coat pockets from last winter! Also my dad used to tell me stories about Roundy the Worm, who lived in a pocket.
When my phone’s screen is lit up and shines through the pocket of my bathrobe, my kids say I look like a Teletubby.
I love my pockets. Like so many others I have found coins and other treasures in them. I hate to be without them. They are great for keeping small things handy so you don’t have to go rooting through your purse.
When my Dad would come to visit or I would go to visit him, I would sneak something in his pocket to find later.
So frustrating to reach to stick something in a pocket and to discover that nothing you’re wearing has one.
I always NEED pockets. That way I don’t lose things, like car keys, because they are in my pocket on me.
I kind of like the log cabin. Not one large log cabin, but several small ones in a row, or maybe two rows. One at the top, possibly and one at the bottom. It could be fun.
As a nurse, pockets and where they were placed on my scrubs, were important to carry my tools of my trade during my workday. Now retired, my pockets are vital to carry odds and ends when caring for little grandchildren.
I love pockets, and add them to as many me made garments as possible. I recently made a skirt, wanted to add back pockets, and realized that I would have to add double darts to both pockets in order to match the receiver pattern. Took a while, but was worth it!
Learning from my grandmother that if you want a pocket believe you can and cut into that seam in woman’s pants/sweater and add one! Have I been brave enough to risk my clothes, ever? No. Do I theoretically know how? Yes. Maybe one day…
Hand-holding inside their pocket.
Love all of my jackets to have pockets with zippers. I carry way too many items in all of my pockets. Always nice to find money that was forgotten. Finding a picture of Mom in a pocket several years after she passed made me cry, but was happy to discover it. I put it back to “find” again sometime.
I remember forgetting to check my kids pockets and ruining a load of laundry with melted crayons. I always check pockets now!!
A year or so ago I bought a deep purple tunic. I liked it very much but it was too plain. So, I took some light purple fabric left over from a sewing project to make a pocket that I sewed on the front. I used black fabric paint to make dots on the pocket (home-made circle stamp and the end of a wooden chopstick). The pocket is useful and just what the tunic needed to give it some interest. I recently received a complement on it!
Learning to make pockets for a felted tunic. The process is counter-intuitive.
Pockets are needed for storing feathers, small Interesting rocks, leaves, found while out for a walk or while working in the garden. May not exactly be a cherished memory but it is something I’ve done since childhood.
I would do a 2 color cable or a fair isle pattern on the pocket.
Non-knitting relared: finding money in a pocket, the first time in the season you wear that old garment!
Knitting related: I love pick-a-boo pockets, with a contrast color linning.
For me, pockets mean happy memories of my children and their love of a pocket’s potential – how many rocks, pine cones and found objects could they store in there? Always a surprise on wash day!
I love to pull out a warm coat and find a knit hat in a pocket!
Love pockets! Had a forest green wool skirt when I was a teen and it had pockets. My favourite, so much that 50 years later I bought fabric to reproduce it.
Cherished pockets…. easy… my kangaroo jacket when I was little…. I hid treasures in there! A wonderful memory!
Putting a student’s small toy in my pocket for safekeeping and purposeful wearing pocket sweaters for that child who needed the comfort of knowing where the toy was so he could do his job without the distraction of knowing his toy had been taken away.
In 1989 I had just learned to know & was living in Scotland for a year. I bought mohair yarn at a tiny yarn shop to make a cardigan from a vintage 1960s Vogue pattern (3/4 sleeves, cropped). I made the sleeves & body longer and added two pockets. Still wearing that cardigan.
I definitely have a relationship with my pockets. Invariably, each time I refill my bird feeders I end up with a few seeds and shells in my jacket pocket. Along with the many tissues and napkins, new and used, I’ve found in my pockets through the years, I’ve also found candy, cookies, and even cash. Every time the cool autumn weather rolls around getting out my jacket is like a fun treasure hunt. Sometimes I win, sometimes I stick my hand into a gooey mess. But I’m always glad I have the pockets.
I’m a pocket lover as I don’t use a purse. In case of many objects, a belt pack or small cloth bag will do. I prefer pockets that are deep enough to not let stuff escape or have a zipper. Love your pocket design for your sweater!
I hate those silly tiny little pockets on things. When possible I cut off the bottoms and add fabric extensions. Finally. My phone won’t pop out, safe deep down in the depths!,
My daughter paid an extra 50 dollars to have pockets put in to her wedding dress. When I asked why, she said it was for her phone and lip gloss. So I replied…who are you gonna call?? Everyone will be at the doggone wedding??? Lol.
There is an excellent kids albumBy Lucy Kalantari titled Pockets Full of Joy. Song lyrics about all the things she does for her little and that he brings her pockets full of joy.
Pockets are for treasures! I love putting something on and reaching into the pocket and finding a memory. One of my favorite childrens book “Peter’s Pockets”…magic!
Pockets are made to hold memories.
my mom taught me to sew when I was 8. And she taught me how to adapt almost any pattern to add a pocket somewhere, because we need pockets!
Wow, I’ve never knit a pocket. Kind of hard (but not impossible) for socks. LOL
I’m not sure I have tons of cherished memories involving pockets, but I did recently-ish finish my first sweater that actually fits me (sort of), and it has adorable, large, usable pockets that make me warm and fuzzy inside (and out) when I wear it… so I guess the thought of those IS cherished! Yay!
Finding an item I thought I had lost. Always brings me joy.
I would want my pocket on the right side as well. Also like the motif you chose.
My favorite pocket memory is one of an external pocket—a furry white muff I had when I was quite young—it made me feel very glamorous.
I loved using a rainbow sock yarn for the cable knit cardigan I recently knit. It was like a hidden bit of joy ☘️
My favorite memory is of all the surprises I find when emptying them when my boys were little, candies, rocks, and once a dead bug. But my most favorite was a crumpled piece of paper that read, “to: MoM I luv yu form:keagan”
Pockets for mints, coins, and kleenex
Not knitting related, but my favorite pocket memory is from when I was a child. The first thing my horse would do is search my pockets for treats, whiffling me over like a blood hound searching for his apple slices.
I am a longtime fan of pockets! When I was in college (MANY years ago), my Mom found a wool skirt that she thought I would like – but it didn’t have pockets. She bought the skirt as well as fabric to make pockets and I got the skirt for Christmas. Every time I wore it and put my hand in one of the pockets I felt loved. And I wore it for many years.
I was walking early in the morning, and picked up a heart-shaped stone I found on the ground. I had been grieving the loss of a good friend, and I mentally connected this stone to her. I kept it in the pocket of my walking jacket for years, and my fingers always searched for it when I walked.
My best pockets and best possible pocket memory was two pockets, in a completely complicated cable pattern. Not only did they match each other, but they were nearly invisible because the cabling matched that of the sweater. My first two pockets were so fun!
Endless loads of laundry with three kids! Found lots of rocks, bits of toys and crayons. Now I’m introducing my grandkids to the joys of pockets. The three year old loves the tiny secret hiding space and I don’t have to do his laundry. Win – win!
So does anyone else feel like a pocket is a blessing AND a curse? If it is something really important it makes more sense to put it in a zippered bag or pouch so it can’t fall out or be forgotten? I am always thinking that something is lost only to find it in a pocket . .
No exciting memories involving pockets. But it is always a delight when I am wearing something I haven’t worn in a while and happen to find I stuffed money in the pocket and forgot to take it out!!
My daughter used to have to wear formal gowns that matched her friends in a youth group she attended. Her delight in the pockets I added when I sewed her gowns is a cherished memory. She loved the pocket customization as well as the fancy prints I chose for linings.
OK so, I just turned 50 last fall. And I still stuff my pockets with pretty rocks and seashells and other neat things that I find on my walks… The only difference is, my mom doesn’t do my laundry anymore so I’m the one responsible for cleaning them out!
One of my favorite childhood books was a counting book with pockets. I’ve tried to find the title – no luck so far. I love pockets in my clothing.
I carried a stone in my pocket for years. I picked it up by the sea while visiting England. It worked like a “worry stone” and I would feel it in my pocket when I needed to be reminded of wonderful times.
I, too, have no special pocket memories. Except pulling out some cash from a long unworn pocket. Always a pleasure. It is definitely a perk of making your own clothes. Adding pockets wherever possible.
I’m a children’s librarian and once borrowed a photojournalist’s vest of my husband’s for a pocket storytime. The vest had at least a dozen pockets and I filled them all with stickers for the kids to find. They never did find them all but my husband did find a few months later.
Oh, my father jingling the change in his suit pocket when he would get home at the end of the day.
I have several pocket memories. My fondest is finding a pillow in my granddaughter’s room that she had made herself from an outgrown sweater I knit for her. She couldn’t bear to part with it because I had knit a puppy hiding in one pocket.
When I was younger my sister had a position as a traveling IT instructor, back when blackboards/whiteboards and chalk/markers were the norm. None of her professional attire had pockets, and she desperately needed them. We were both visiting my mom one week and, rather than sew and entire wardrobe for her, I added side-seam pockets to the skirts she brought with her. She still mentions this if I ask her if there’s something she needs.
Then, there are the turtle pockets. I’ve put them on quite a few items over the last couple of years. My grandkids’ school mascot is a sea turtle. I use Barbara Walker’s turtle.
I always leave kleenex in my pocket and never remember until the little pieces are floating around in the dryer!
Finding long forgotten cash stuffed in a stored jacket.
The pocket is fantastic! Love the mod.
Ah, pockets. Living in a cold place I have many coats and jackets. As a rule I keep putting things in the pockets. As the seasons change and I take them out of the closet in succession, I delight in finding mementoes from the previous year. Ticket stubs, shopping lists, cryptic notes, mittens, gloves. Of late, masks. Not so fun.
My grandmother always had whatever you needed in one of her deep pockets of her house dresses like a tissue, a lemon drop, some change for the gumball machine or my favorite, a needle and thread to hand sew Barbie doll clothes.
My grandmother made me a beautiful plaid skirt when I was a teenager, meticulously matching the plaid, and she put pockets in, because women’s skirts and dresses SHOULD have them. I still have that skirt though I don’t wear it anymore, because it’s a tangible link with her now that she’s gone.
One time when my son was about 2 or 3, I dressed him for the day in an outfit that didn’t have pockets, and boy did he chew me out for that that evening! After that, I let him choose his own clothes!
My winter coat has pockets big enough to fit my copy of The Martian! Naturally, The Martian frequently finds itself in my pocket in wintertime.
I’m currently making my first Daytripper Cardigan and just added to my Lopi stash with three more colors for some future Jaunty Beanies, so I would probably turn to my Lopi Field Guide No. 17 for a pocket pattern. The Old Friend sweater would be in Peat, maybe with Citron, Clementine and/or Mallard for the contrast colors and the Lantern motif. Or the sweater in Tutu with Shale or Truffle sparkle motifs, or… wouldn’t those motifs look great on a Scrap Tote?
PS: I was even thinking about putting a pocket on my Daytripper just today!
I love a contrasting color on the inside of the pocket!
My favorite pocket story is about knitting a sweater with my handspun. Half of the pocket liners in both pockets is a contrasting yarn ( not visible when wearing the sweater) because when you don’t quite have enough yarn at the very end you can’t duplicate handspun.
Years ago I made my mom a flannel nightgown for Christmas. As an afterthought I added a pocket. I remember questioning myself about it, but I added lace and made it fancy. At first, Mom did not realize that I had made the nitie, then all she could talk about was the pocket. It is always the little things in life that speak to us.
It was only after I started losing work gloves – always the right-hand glove – that I realized one of my cashmere does, Tsuga, had made and very gradually enlarged a hole in the bottom of my barncoat pocket. The pocket where I kept my right-hand glove. And peanuts.
When you ask about a cherished memory involving pockets, immediately I thought of my grandmother, who seemed always to have a pack of Lifesavers in her housedress pocket. At least whenever I as around!
I love pockets! When I was a kid I would buy candy and stuff them in my pocket and the change. They are like mini treasure coves.
I love pockets! They are a must in pants and jackets. I was so tickled when I bought a pair of leggings and cycling shorts that had the small pocket on the side of the thigh, just perfect for ID or a phone. ❤️
Everything needs a pocket!
I have an unpleasant pocket story. I was a kid and it was time for fireworks. I had a jacket with a pocket in the front, so I filled it with firecrackers. This kid who I didn’t like thought that it would be funny to throw a match into my pocket. Of course, all I could do was to try to hold the pocket away from my skin as the firecrackers exploded. I didn’t get burned, and it ruined my new jacket. And that was the last time I ever lit off a firecrackers.
I use my jeans and coat pockets all the time but when I used to sew clothes I hated sewing them. The best pockets were my farmer dad’s, he had all the essential rescue items : chapstick. Pocket knife, spare change. And pliers on his belt. He could fix anything.
Completely unrelated to knitting, but pockets: I was visiting my sister – my nephew was about 2 ish and somewhat fascinated by my “bags” (i.e. briefcase, knitting bag, traveling bag, regular purse-bag …) He wanted to know why I had so many bags. I explained the lack of pockets in my clothing and the visiting routine. He still wanted to see what all I had and (what seemed like) hours later we went outside for a walk. He asked for sunglasses. And chapstick. And bug spray. And a sweater. All of which my sister maternally produced out of thin air. And a drink, he was thirsty and wanted a drink. My sister gave him a water bottle. He turned to me and said “Mama doesn’t carry bags; she has magic pockets.)
My step-daughter Holli Yeoh designed a pattern for me (Bespoke). as a birthday present. She then made the pattern so it would work for a non-gendered multitude of sizes. She also made sure it had generously sized pockets which are great for cold hands. I love my version and anyone who knits the sweater will live theirs too.
I would always find money in my pockets as I switched from summer Navy uniforms to winter Navy uniforms. What a pleasant surprise!
Doing laundry and finding $ in the pockets, especially bills. It’s a nice surprise.
My 3 year old is into pockets and often says that she’ll put something (like acorn hats) in her pocket even when she doesn’t have anything with pockets on.
At age 3, my daughter spent the day at the playground with her grandparents. While washing up for dinner, I cleaned her hands and face, and then combed out her hair to perfection. Taking off her jumper, her two pockets released wet balled handfuls of sand which landed first on her head and then plopped to the floor. Surprise!
Not knitted pockets, but when I was in kindergarten I had jeans with embroidered hamburger & fries on the back pockets. I thought they were the coolest.
Honestly, I think Cristina is a creative genius!!! Love decorating your pocket idea and all of your options were fabulous!! I would have never have thought of that, but now it seems so obvious. And that’s what makes her a genius. What she sees as obvious is what I am oblivious to me!!
Love your pocket designs! My favourite pocket so far is from a jumper I made for my niece who was two at the time (I think) and I made an owl pocket for her it was not only my first pocket but it was my first time knitting in colour!!
What a memory!
I like the Log Cabin idea
without fail, in all my jacket pockets I’ll find a little pebble or a stone. I miniature talisman from the beaches, or woods, or roads I’ve travelled.
Going for a walk with the kids & all the treasures they find go in our pockets.
I started wearing leggings more when they got pockets.
Pockets – I think of the Agnes sweater (on Ravelry) and being so unsure wether to add the pockets. I have always been glad I did. It makes the sweater more of a sweatshirt, but who doesn’t love a pocket!
In college I embroidered on the pocket of a shirt and then gave away the shirt. Awhile ago a friend returned the shirt pocket – it brought back sweet memories!
I inherited a jacket my 80 year old dad wore in his 20s and found a poem he had written to my mum when they were courting – precious!
The best is when you buy a dress and suddenly discover it has pockets. Pockets so deep you can put your knitting in. I have a lovely blue and white dress and it’s pockets are elbow deep. Some people call that wine bottle deep but I rather put a ball of yarn in..
I keep a hand knit hat and gloves in each jacket and coat pocket to discover and use on every walk
My friend told me to wipe my cheese puff covered hands on the inside of my pockets at a party with no napkins.
My favorite pocket memories are when I discover something leftover from a previous vacation in a pocket, such as beach glass, seashells, or pebbles. A crumpled receipt can even evoke a happy memory of vacations past.
My mother always had to have a pocket in anything item of clothing she bought. An absolute rule!
Almost 3 decades ago, I sewed a prom dress (royal blue satin) for my eldest daughter. The skirt had two long ruffles, one starting at the waist. I added an in-seam pocket under the top ruffle for her ever-necessary tube of chapstick.
I still have a long cardigan that I knit several years ago and love. It has a stranded motif inside the pocket, a secret design. It’s just so much fun for me and the few sharp-eyed knitters who notice it.
I’ve made several sweaters with pockets, well actually two, but one I’ve made a couple of times. One is lopi sweater and the other is the pebble tunic by Joji Locatelli and it is one that I wear a lot. Both have pockets on the inside and I love them. That is one that I’d like to make again.
Never put a pocket on anything I knitted.
My favorite memory of pockets is an old field jacket that meant I never had to carry a handbag. I’ve recently thought of adding pockets to current garments.
Love pockets – and big pockets that are good for hands in case you forgot your mittens.
My grandmother always kept a handkerchief in her pocket and mostly used it to wipe away the occasional tears of her grandchildren or the smudges of her delicious food on their faces. She suffered a severe stroke and was confined to bed. She worried aloud in Italian that she could not put her handkerchief in her pocket. I gently folded the top of her bedsheet two times and created a ‘pocket’ for her. Even in her pain and confusion she was able to find that pocket for her handkerchief and it gave her peace in her final hours. I will never forget the usefulness of a pocket.
Hmm pockets. I remember the first time I got a winter coat. Discovering all the hidden compartments and pockets was a delight!
I like to have pockets to keep my small items in. I am always in fear that I’ll leave my purse somewhere!
I also love the surprise when you take out a coat you haven’t worn in a while and find a ten dollar bill in the pocket!
I have a nightgown with pockets!
In our house whoever does the laundry gets to keep whatever she finds in the pockets!
My favorite pocket memory is the endless and curious discoveries I would make when emptying my “collector of all things curious” son’s pockets before washing. Whether a small car, a rocket, feather, heart shaped rock or discarded washer ring, there was always some treasure.
Pockets, I first think of childhood and hiding little kiddles in my pockets to take to school. I then hid them in my desk and played with them during class. Never got caught!
I have never made a pocket
I love pockets! My favorite knitted ones are on the Scrufts cardigan by Katie Green that I made to honor my dogs. I did intarsia on each pocket: one of my beloved greyhound Lucy, who we lost in 2019. The other with our mixed breed, Jake, who we adopted in 2020.
LLBEAN five pocket pants. Unlike their other black knit pants, they are slim cut and have pockets. They offered the for a very limited time and I only bought one pair. Alas.
I was wondering earlier this week what the really sharp, spiky thing in my pocket was; fished it out to find a tooth! (Tooth fairy had visited, and the exchange had ended in my pocket!)
No pocket memories, but everyone needs a good pocket in their garments.
Only one pocket experience…unfortunately, the sweater never fit right and has only been worn once…should reclaim the yarn.
Finding a note from my daughter in my pocket with a stick figure wearing a cape that said:
Get Cape
Wear Cape
Fly
Tucking something away in a pocket to find it later with excitement and memories.
I love pockets! Life changing to find quality running leggings with deep thigh pocket for my phone so I can listen to audiobooks and have the safety of communication on a long run. I was not planning to knit the old friend, but now that I’m thinking about all of the pocket possibilities, I might!
I want to try a chevron motif on the pocket, and knit a patch on the sweater in the contrast color to place the pocket over so the pocket is “lined” in the contrast color.
My signature for sweaters, especially for kids, is a pocket. Sometimes hidden Nowadays can be phone size, or hanky size
My 3yrold godson was in the bath with something hidden in his fist. I asked “What have you got there?” I knew he had something in his hand after our walk, it disappeared over tea and I forgot. He showed me his treasure “It’s been in my pocket” He had a huge garden slug! I love him still.
When dating my husband back in those sassy college days, he used to try to surprise me but I often had my prediction written on a scrap of paper tucked in my back pocket. This included the time he asked me to marry him. He was not surprised when I handed him that note: “I asked you first”. This could be why they don’t put more pockets in women’s clothing.
Decades later, I don’t have space in my pockets for all the “I told you sos”. But I might benefit from a few notes to myself in a knitting bag pocket on things like gauge, or sizing, or drape.
Finding a lost treasure in a long forgotten cardigan pocket from vacation. Just a simple shell. But a memory.
Pockets for women’s garments! I’ve become a bit cranky about this one. If a manufacturer doesn’t put workable, useable, real pockets – front and back – in slacks, I’m not buying their stuff. Dog treats in my left pocket, rings in the tiny upper pocket of jeans, phone in a back pocket (not recommended while walking in a crowd!!) (pickpockets), a thin ID wallet in right front. Shirt pockets, too!! A cable needle, a few markers, a pencil for notes . . .
I knitted myself a cardigan, then after wearing it a few times, realized it needed a pocket, so I knitted a square and sewed it onto the front. It looks OK and I have a place to put a tissue.
A long forgotten memory popped up. My most beautiful baby doll had a very pretty dress with a pocket and I would always put a coin in that pocket. But the mystery was that the coin always went missing. Never could figure it out – magic?
My grandma carried hankies in her pockets and taught me how superior they are to kleenex. She also showed me how to hand stitch a pocket onto a doll dress (a very tiny pocket!) in one of my first sewing projects.
I love pockets, but I haven’t tried to tackle them in knitting yet. Mastering adding pockets is on my knitting bucket list.
i love pockets! but rarely think to add them to a pattern.
Finding a lost object I searched for and gave up on made that pocket on a rarely worn cardigan a real winner.
I was delighted to have a pocket to carry the rock my puppy, Stella, was determined to pick up and bring home. We call her a ‘rock hound’.
The dress I got for the first day of first grade had a tall, narrowish pocket on the skirt. It was just the right size for the pencils I took to school. I was so excited about that pocket!
Men’s clothes often do pockets right.
On women’s clothes, the pockets are often frustratingly decorative rather than functional.
My inclination might be to leave the pocket off the pullover. Has anyone done that?
I love pockets big enough, and deep enough, to hold my glasses!
My only pocket comment is that I am too timid to put pockets on any sweater that I knit! I treat my hand knits with great respect and pockets are too tempting for our poodle-she must stick her nose in whenever possible.
When you put on a favourite coat at the change of seasons, and find a treasure in the pocket. A $20 bill, a lost pair of reading glasses. Lately it’s been face masks.
Friend showed me the inside of his sweater and said, “but I can’t figure out what these flaps are for.” I guided him back to the outside of the sweater, to the pockets.
My favorite pocket memories have to do with laundry and all the things I would find in my little boy’s pockets. On any given day, I could pull out string, pretty rocks, marbles, Legos, flowers, tiny plastic animals, unidentified finds from our walks, sticks, crayons, anything shiny, anything sticky, and more sticks. I miss those days 🙂
My dad always carries a pad, pen, flashlight, and a pocket knife in his pockets and is therefore, always prepared.
finding money in pockets is always thrilling. Even if it’s just a dime!
When I was little, my favorite uncle, who I didn’t see often, would always pull two quarters out of his shirt pocket to give me.
I was well into my 40’s before i learned that menswear pajamas have pockets but most womenswear pajamas don’t. I’ve been just a little cranky about it ever since. That was the straw that broke the camel back of the patriarchy for me.
I love pockets! And modifying patterns. I jot notes in the back of my Clever Fox planner/bullet journal. I added pockets to my Caramel cardigan using the contrasting color as the back so that it would peak out.
The boy who I liked in college always used old style fountain pen and had stain of ink on his shirt chest pocket.
I made a little sport hoodie for a friend’s child and it had side inside pockets. I was delighted at how easy they were and how well they came out! Pockets are fun and trying something new and a challenge is even more fun!
A PERFECT piece of clothing is one that has beautiful pockets!
I am a grandmother myself so this is an old memory lol but when I was a little girl, my maternal grandmother made lots of clothes for me, she always added pockets, I particularly remember the big patch pockets on one particular dress.
I have a (very recent) memory of pockets—as of yesterday, I completed the last of 6 bunnyhugs, knit, since January, for my 6 grandsons (the oldest turning 9, the youngest due in early May). Bunnyhug is a Saskatchewan term for a sweater with a hood and a pouch pocket. My 2-year-old grandson received his bunnyhug for his birthday—and he loooves the pouch pocket! For my 2 newborn grandsons, the pouch comes filled with a tiny knit bunny, with a striped sweater that matches the stripes of the bunnyhug. So much fun!
Absolute best place for Kleenex, cant live without them!
Didn’t see my comment so trying again. A recent pocket experience: my daughter’s delight when a sweater has pockets ( not hand knit though) I am using a mini crossbody bag these days as an external pocket for my phone.
I M learning how to knit pockets. I know myself. I am going to get obsessed and pocket happy
I haven’t knitted a pocket but love them in a cardigan.
There is no reasonable excuse for any women’s garment to be without pockets, now that we have seen even stretchy leggings can have pockets!
Pockets are fun, a secret place to stash your stuff! Aside from finding unexpected money in old pockets of sweaters or coats (always a treat!), I recently wore a lovely, billowy dress to my nephew’s wedding — fitted on top, very full and flowy on the bottom. I had tried it on several times but when I actually wore it, I stuck my hands down and found, unexpectedly…. pockets! Woohoo, made that dress even better!
I always rejoice when I find a pretty dress with pockets. Bonus!
I recently knitted a child’s vest with “hidden” pockets — a place where a toddler can stash their favorite trinkets.
My favorite pocket memory is, of course, finding folding money in the pocket of a winter coat on the first really cold day.
I made a hoodie for my daughter-and her pet rat Nutmeg-with a kangaroo pocket that included a ratty tunnel up to the shoulder/hood, so Nutmeg could hang out in the pocket or climb up for a view from the shoulder. I thought about starting a new line of clothing: “RatWear”
Love pockets in fabric garments. In knitting, not so much. They bag and sag and are usually in all the wrong places for me. I have my own bag and sag and don’t need extra.
One of my favorite shawl sweaters has two pockets and is great for a walk and collecting things of nature. I love pockets and after I finish my raglan want to add a pocket.
My first dress with pockets. A revelation!
My memory about pockets is remembering to use my memory to check pockets for Kleenex tissues IN EVERY PIECE OF CLOTHING before it goes in the washing machine! Quite the mess if I do not…
I didn’t care about pockets until the era of cell phones. Now I will reject wearing any outfit without one capable of holding my phone. Hence the number of stretched out pockets I now possess!
Love to hike and love rocks… always putting rocks in pockets and often finding them later with good memories.
A friend and I went to visit her elderly aunt. Due to medical conditions, she most often entertain from her bed, but that day she was dressed in a lovely slack outfit She was standing in the living room when she put her hands in her slacks pockets, like she was looking for something. She then said to me, “you know what is wonderful about pockets?” I said “no”. She looked at me and said with a devilish smile, “it’s a great place to hide cigarettes.”
I’ve never knitted pockets before but I know if I buy mom a sweater it has to have pockets. Her hands get cold and she always has Kleenex stuffed in them.
I love putting my hands in pockets of a jacket I haven’t worn in awhile. I never know what I might find. Jelly beans, mints, change that I found on a walk, tissues, my long lost ear mitts.. Pockets have the best surprises!!
As an ICU nurse, I used to wear a scrub jacket just to have pockets.
The pockets on the Destination Pullover are calling to me!
Pocket mod: a different color altogether! Maybe speckles! Maybe stripes!
Just took a Vogue Knitting Virtual course with C. Lowe in which she presented a “long-lost stitch” which was suggested for a pocket as it results in great texture.
My favorite pocket memories seem to come from autumn when I inevitably find money or some other treasure I’ve been looking for for months!
Pockets! What a lovely word. I also sew a bit and always add pockets to things I make and often to the odd thing I buy. Last month I knit two pockets for an ancient zip up cardigan (my house sweater) that had been abandonded by an old boyfriend of my daughter’s, over a decade ago. It is navy, needs a good shave once a year, is loose and comfortable and warm and now sports one orange and one red pocket. For an odd memory of me and my pockets…My Mum was washing my overalls (I was three in 1954) and when putting them through the wringer discovered my worm collection. I was saving them so Dad and I could go fishing…
When I was showing dogs every outfit to wear during the show had to have pockets for the treats used to keep the dog alert and still. It was so hard to find women’s clothing with pockets so I wound up sewing on my own. They weren’t perfect and often not pretty but they did the job.
Pants, skirts, dresses – none are any good without a pocket! I will be doing my first knit pocket on the Granito and find myself hemming and hawing over whether to do a contrast color inside it. And I may now need pockets on other sweaters…
Of goodness, I can’t think of anything specific other than I’ve always loved pockets and have been teased like, “I would’ve gotten you [enter item of clothing], but it didn’t have pockets so I knew you would wear it anyway,” so I guess my favorite memory is just how well ppl know my love for pockets
love the suble design on the pocket
I’m just so happy you gave me the idea to use the pocket as a canvas. Now I’m dreaming of how best to “paint” it!!
little blessings within
holders of remembrance
deep pockets
It took me four years to make the Sylvi coat and when I was finishing it, after I’d already seen the sides together, I took them apart so that my mom, who made a lining for the coat, could add pockets. Not I have a place to put my hands when I model the most striking piece of knitwear that I own.
Learning that it’s okay to have your hands in your pockets
Women’s clothing packs pockets, I’m always looking for a way to add them.
I love pockets…the more, the better. Pockets in sweaters, purses, knitting bags, pants.
I’m in the middle of knitting a cosy tunic length pullover right now that I plan on wearing over leggings basically every day next winter (I doubt I’ll be done in time to wear it this season but who knows with Ohio weather) So I’ll need a place to stash my phone and I’m adding pockets for the first time. I think they blend in to the pattern ok and I know they’ll do the job.
Finding a random $20 in my jeans pocket when I was super broke and depressed.
Oh, gosh, it’s not a knitting memory but it sprang to mind immediately. When I was 12, New Yorker, (to which my parents subscribed, of course) had an ad in which a shirt company was offering a sample of the perfection of their shirts. It was a handkerchief of their perfect material with a perfect buttonhole in one corner and a perfect pocket perfectly stitched to the center. I had to have one; I entered the “give us a reason for this item” contest, was published in their book! (only instance of me being published ever) and was sent the item. I don’t know where it is now, but I think I still have my copy of the book.
I have 2 memories. When my son was school age, I turned out his jeans pockets prior to washing them, and found a slug. He didn’t know how it got there, but I always checked his pockets with some trepidation thereafter. Second, my grandma made most of my school dresses, and she always included pockets. I love pockets still. I would like two patch pockets near the hem.
I refuse to buy pants without pockets. My keys are always there in the right hand one.
My mother was an incredibly talented knitter. She rarely knit anything for herself, preferring to knit for her children and grandchildren. After she died, my dad gifted me with her most treasured hand knit – a magnificent Portuguese fisherman’s sweater that she had made for herself years before. I immediately put it on and tucked my hands into its deep pockets. Inside one of the pockets I discovered a small piece of scrap paper with a note in my mom’s handwriting. It was just a simple list of items to pick up for my brother’s upcoming birthday, but it is even more precious to me than the beautiful sweater I found it in.
My father always had treats in his pockets. Lifesavers, tic tacs, cough drops. Always.
I loved the first time I put an afterthought pocket on a long open front knit cardigan. I was so proud of myself. Of course, if I put anything of weight in the pocket the whole sweater saga to my knees. Oh well – no regrets!
I love pockets! Some years ago a feind of mine gave me a jacket they had knitted. I so thankful for I know the work that went iunto making it. It did not have pockets and the sleeves were too long. So I shortened the sleeves and used the yarn fro pockests. It was perfect!
I found $20 in an inside pocket of a suit jacket I bought for $3 at a garage sale once.
Favorite pocket memory. Going around the block, using my Footsie (Ring you slip around your ankle and a ball attached with a string. You twirl it around and hop over it.) Hands in my pockets. Not a care in the world.
Next cardigan I knit will have pockets whether the pattern does or not, thanks to this article’s inspiration!
Making a little kangaroo pocket on a hoodie i made for my daughter–she loved it and I appreciated learning another new knitting technique. I used to shy away from things I hadn’t done before, but I’m finding the joy and satisfaction in working something new!
favorite pocket memory: pulling out a winter coat years ago in the fall and finding a $100 bill tucked in the pocket. And i think i used it to buy yarn?
I cannot teach without a pocket for my reading glasses and mask and pen!
Just to show my age, I loved the picture book Katy No Pocket as a child.
I will never forget the feeling I had when I first successfully altered a skirt pattern to add pockets – and it even worked right when I sewed it, too!
I also love pockets and need to remember to add them to cardigans whose patterns don’t include them!
Mo, my 8 pound fawn and white Chihuahua with a very wide grin, peeking out of the pocket of my husband’s backpack while they tootled around on hubby’s new scooter. Mo and the scooter have left us, but that memory of unadulterated joy is with me forever!
My 83 year old father had this ratty old navy blue cardigan that had holes everywhere and I hated it. I made him a new one out of Malabrigo Arroyo, again in navy blue but I lined the pockets with a variegated purple just for giggles. He loved it. RIP Dad, you old curmudgeon.
I love kangaroo pockets! My first sweater has one and it’s my favorite.
I love putting on old coats and discovering misplaced hand knits in the pockets. Oh! My hat! Those mittens! Best treasure hunt!
Love the pockets on the Lopi pullover I knit with pockets with a hidden design. Way too fun getting creative!
My oldest niece loved to dig for worms in my parent’s yard. She would stash them in the pockets of her jacket and pants. We would ask her to turn her pockets inside out before she came into the house.
Finding money in the pocket of a jacket, coat or garment I haven’t worn in a while is always a nice surprise.
One of my favorite knits was Elizabeth Zimmerman’s Tomten Jacket for my first born when she was about 3. I used primary color variegated yarn, and used crayon box appliques for patch pockets.
Going to the seaside and collecting shells on the beach- tucking the most beautiful in your pocket. Wearing the jacket later and reaching in your pockets- it immediately transports you back to the sea
I’ve never tried putting a pocket on one of my sweaters
I’m racking my brain trying to see if I have a cherished memory involving pockets…nope, I don’t. But I do love pockets, especially on dresses. I don’t really like them on sweaters. I worry the pocket will get baggy. On just about every other piece of clothing though, they’re great!
I love when I discover things in coat pockets that I forgot about over the summer…ticket stubs, shopping lists, sometimes even money!
ah… pockets! I love a decent sized, useful pocket in clothes 🙂
But my most cherished memory of pockets is that when my grandmother would gift me with a new purse (or a new wallet), she always put just a little money in the pocket. She had a little superstition about it – it may be only a nickel, dime, or quarter, but there was always just a little something in there. I usually tried to always keep what she gave me in the pocket :).
Love pockets:) And one thing I love about them is finding things I’ve forgotten I abandoned the last time I wore the item:)
I like a good pocket better than a purse. So I put pockets on a lot of my sweaters. Usually on the front as side pockets are just too darn small!
This Instagram post has made me laugh for about a week: https://www.instagram.com/p/CbsmJGlJzc1/?utm_medium=copy_link
If you can’t see it, the gist is: “Why do my infant son’s pants have full-size pockets and mine don’t? What does he need to carry? THE KEYS TO THE PATRIARCHY?”
I remember having to give a speech and being nervous. I put my hands in my large pockets and touched my thumb to each finger. It helped calm my nerves.
I once made a knitting bag where there were many pockets inside and out. It was a fun but frustrating at times knit.
Somewhere I read about putting a $20 bill in a coat pocket. Just in case, just for delighted surprise when you put that coat on months later, just cuz. I did it & was duly delighted to find it! I wonder if it’s still in there (says she of Many Coats)…
I’ve never knit anything with pockets although now that I have grandkids, I’m willing to try adding pockets to the sweaters and vests I knit for them.
Not many pocket memories to be honest, although I had a lovely dress once upon a time that had side pockets … what wasn’t to like about that?? 🙂
I honestly have never done a pocket on my knitting. I think I would on a long cardigan, but I haven’t done one of those. I should. As for my pullovers I like them without pockets
So fun to see the guides used together!
Pockets remind me of a summer temp job that involved doing research on getting stains out with laundry detergent. I had to use squares of various fabrics including blue jeans for the tests. But that resulted in having left over blue jean back pockets that couldn’t be used in the test. I had so much fun figuring out ways to use all those extra pockets in my own crafting projects.
Making pockets with Grandma
Pockets. The more of them I have, the more likely it is I am not able to find my phone. Four pockets in my jacket, four in my jeans and one in the front of my hooded sweatshirt. Lots of fumbling. Might even resort to Find My iPhone.
I just want pockets, even if I don’t use them a lot.
I don’t have special pocket memories, but one reason I want to learn to sew is so that I can’t put pockets in all my skirts and dresses.
My best pocket story is from my husband, who was in Rio de Janeiro with his colleague for a business meeting. One evening they were walking along the beach in Ipanema when a young man approached them, reached out as he passed, grabbed John’s shirt pocket, and ran off behind them. John and his colleague – both big tall men who most people wouldn’t pick on – turned and watched the hoodlum run and then stop, look in his hand to see how much money he had scored, and discover that all he had was – the pocket! Of course, John had to go back down the beach to retrieve his pocket, which the young man had disgustingly thrown down in the sand before he disappeared in the distance. It was certainly his most unusual souvenir from the trip.
I’ve never had a sweater with pockets, but I love the idea! I made a book shawl, a shawl with pockets large enough for my Kindle and phone. I have pockets in all my dresses and most of my slacks (as unflattering as they can be).
I’ve added pockets to several of my sweaters. I usually make them too small. My last sweater I made them oversized and they turned out perfectly.
Finding cash left there last winter in the pocket of a winter coat
I don’t have any cherished pocket memories, per se, other than that my grandmother taught me always to have tissues in them, LOL!
My three-year-old always wore overalls for hiking so she had plenty of room for “soft” (smooth) rocks. When we got home, the first job was to move old treasures from the windowsill to the flowerbed by the front door, so there would be a place for new finds…at least one in every pocket. She is a mama now and knows to respect a child’s treasures.
I love kangaroo pockets, you can fit so many things in it and keep your hands warm. I think womens clothing especially pants need more useable pockets.
My husband asked me for a cardigan he could shlump around in. So I found the perfect color (his favorite is orange) and the pattern had pockets. I had never knit anything with pockets. I finally opened for plain simple pockets and I was concerned he’d not realize how much work went into those pockets. Placement was a pain(I hate measuring) but you know, ten years on he still wears that cardigan and loves it. That really makes knitting such a pleasure.
I like the dots and stripes pocket!
I have no cherished memories of pockets possibly because I have never had enough. I’ll tell you what tho: I will not wear an apron without a bib front and pockets. In the old days women wore aprons all day for just those reasons.
Pockets are the best especially with kids and grandkids how else are you going to get every thing in or out the car.
Not sure about cherished memories, but I love finding forgotten cash in pockets.
Like many others, most of my pocket-related memories have to do with finding lost things in them, like rocks, keys, money, chewing gum, and other odd treasures. But my favorite knitting-related pocket memory is about a hat pattern I created that had a secret pocket in the ear flaps for hiding a little bit of cash or anything else small and fairly flat. Even if you didn’t take advantage of the secret pocket, it would keep your ears extra-warm because of the doubled-over knitted fabric. I was very proud of having come up with that idea, and the eventual owner of the hat (it was raffled off at a fundraising event) said she loved the idea of a hat with secret pockets.
I love sewing pockets into clothes I make! I have made knit pockets in numerous things but find they are too holey for keys and dog treats…unless lined, and then they weigh down the sweater…but I keep looking for solutions!
Pockets are my favorite accessory! Who doesn’t need a little place for warming hands, storing tissue, keys, money, hair clips etc? Fortunately before my Mom died she told me where her important jewels were. In her house coat pocket! After that I learned to ALWAYS check pockets before donating an item. ☺️
I love adding pockets to children’s sweaters. It adds an element of sophistication I think. And what you find in them…….!
Knitting the pockets of the Gramps cardigan for my first baby grandson, Levi.
Pulling a jacket out of the closet that had not been worn since the previous winter and finding money in the pocket that was left behind and long forgotten. Cheers!
My husband thrifted a beautiful vintage tail coat to wear at our wedding. We found a hand written slip from the last time it had been cleaned in one of the pockets. The slip dated from 1928. It remains a wonder for us almost 30 years on.
Im so New to Sweater Knitting that I havent tried Pockets just yet, but I like the idea of an angled pocket on the top and straight on the bottom, ans then also hidden pockets within the sideseam of a sweater!
Finding a love note in the pocket of a down coat I was about to wash!
Hi! I’ve only made sweater with pockets, and it was for a baby so maybe he wasn’t too particular. 🙂
First ownership of pocket(s) as a child was empowering! A place to store little things, a safe!, a secret hiding spot, a place to keep the hands, warm them, toy with the secret stuff undetected, keep the hands out of sight, practice nonchalance! Front pockets were amazing! Then came side pockets! Then BACK pockets! Pockets were the high tech of my childhood! They were independence itself! Back off, adults!
I love pockets where a bit of contrast colored lining shows. So fetching!
I usually avoid pockets but am loving the Old Friend Pullover. I’m inspired!
A few years ago, I knit the Seventh Doctor’s sweater vest (from Doctor Who, the one with all the question marks), but the vest pattern I chose to use as a base didn’t have pockets in the pattern, so I have to improvise AND it was the first time I’d ever done pockets. The pockets and my FO ended up turning out really well!
Pockets are my special containers. As a kid I always has an assortment of treasures in my pockets — found objects like beautiful rocks, feathers, pussy willows, colorful leaves. Now, the objects are not nearly as inspirational, but rather heavily leaning towards practicality — Driver’s License, credit card, insurance card, bandaid, tissue, etc., etc..
Just remembering how glad I am to find a pair of my fingerless mitts in my pocket when my hands are starting to feel numb at the supermarket.
In the mid 1980’s, I owned several skirt and top combos cut from the same cloth. The skirts had patch pockets and I loved them. I was wearing a blue plaid skirt featuring those pockets while on a flight from London to NYC (returning home after a trip with my high school French class). Twenty minutes into our flight, the pilot calmly announced that there was a bomb threat and that we were landing in Shannon, Ireland. I remember quickly slipping my passport into one of those skirt pockets to keep it safe. We left everything on the plane and exited as soon as we landed. No bomb was found, and PanAm flew in another jet to take us home.
Pockets are a must. My favorite pocket memory is of my little brother who wore farm overalls with the little pocket up front on the bib for a watch. It was where he kept his friends, cockleburrs.
Pockets are everything in a garment. Despite being a rudimentary sewer, I was very pleased to figure out how to put pockets in a skirt — and it turned out well. Cardigans with pockets are my very favorite sweaters.
When I found a$100 bill in a jacket O hadn’t worn in many months
Finding an unexpected treasure. Rather like Xmas!
When I was little, my mom made most of my clothes. Often store-bought dresses did not (and do not) have pockets, but my mom made sure every dress, pair of shorts, pants and skirts had at least two pockets. I loved those pockets – so very handy! I stuffed them with all sorts of treasures.